International men’s volleyball: Good weeks for Knigge, Averill, Christenson, Issacson

Editor’s note: Blair Lambert covers international men’s volleyball for VolleyballMag.com, focusing on Americans playing abroad. He will have updates throughout the 2022-23 professional season. Got a note about a player or a comment? Email blairlambert2@gmail.com

A number of USA players kicked off play in two European cup competitions, the CEV Cup and the CEV Challenge Cup and it was a very successful week for those involved. 

There is a new leader atop France’s top flight with an American setter at the helm, Micah Christenson had a chance to win his first trophy of the year in Russia, and Micah Ma’a past his first real test of the season with another one right around the corner.

CEV Cup: Europe’s second-tier cup competition kicked off with SVG Lüneburg going to Montenegro and earning a sweep in the first leg over Budva. Gage Worsley passed 63 percent of his receptions positively and 50 percent perfectly. Jordan Ewert scored 11 points on 10 kills and a block with a .278 attack average. Ewert also passed a match-high 21 serves with an impressive 71 percent and 52 percent performance. Colton Cowell started the first two sets and finished with seven kills while hitting .400. Joe Worsley set his team to a .369 attack efficiency while adding three kills, two blocks and an ace. The two teams will play the return leg in Germany on Wednesday.

CEV Challenge Cup: CV Guagas opened with a 3-1 win over Deyva Volley Burgas on October 12. Matt Knigge led Guagas in scoring with 20 points from the middle on 16 kills and four blocks with a .682 hitting percentage. Brandon Rattray made his first official appearance with Guagas when he started the second set. He had 13 kills and four blocks while hitting .269.

Maccabi Tel-Aviv played both legs of its match with Luboteni Ferizaj of Kosovo in Israel last week. No stats were available, but the Israeli champions defeated Luboteni in three sets on October 11. They played the next day and Maccabi took the first set 25-2. Sam Burgi entered after the first set and had seven kills and hit .200 hitting.

Poland: David Smith and Erik Shoji bounced back with ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle to get a sweep over BBTS Bielsko-Biała on October 13. Smith had eight kills with no errors, hit .800, and had a block and an ace. Shoji posted a 50 percent positive and 32 percent perfect passing performance. Jake Hanes had13 kills, a block and hit .200 for the losing side.